The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-12-10
TWO TIGER STORIES.


during our trip . place called Marouda,
situated on the banks of river, tributary
ofthe Vein Gunga, il remember rightly,
in the Chanda district. We had heard
that tiger, tigrcss, and three cubs fire.
quented strip of Jungle on the banks of
the river; the tigress, moreover, had by
native report been magnified into imam
eater" and was said to have killed man
the day previous to our arrival. This in
deed, proved to be the fact; but the poor
wretch lost his life due to his own care
lessness and foolhardness. The man in
question had small patch of cultivation
bordering the cover in which the tigers
generally lay up. The cubs in their
gambols had done considerable damage
to the crop, rolling about in it, and break
ing down the plants. In order to pre-
vent their making his fields their play
ground, the owner, IN spite of being adj
vised to the contrary, announced his de-
termination to setting fire to the long
grass at the end of the Jungle. This in
tention he accordingly proceeded to carry
into effect and had hardly kindled the
flames which were to insure him from
future damage, when the tigress, who
had been lying up within few yards of
him, rushed out and knocked him over.
killing him almost instantaneously. She,
however, left him and never ate any of
the body, as she would have done had
she been real man eater. The evening
Of our arrival we had three or four
"hailss" tied out, and the following
morning had the satisfaction Of hearing
one was killed Accordingly, about
eleven o'clock, we started with some
eighty beaters for the scene of action
The carcass Of the calf had been dragged
by the tgress into q small nullah that
debOuched into the main river; about
half mile further ON there was a similar
nullali, and between these two We took
up our positions in trees and some fifty
yards apart. The beat had not commenced
more than five minutes and l was gazing
eagerly to my front when / saw the IT,
gress, followed 10y three cubs, not quite
half grown, and about the size OF big
mastitis, coming straight toward me. She
slouched sulkily along, evidently much
put out at being disturbed, and the cubs
trotteJ after her, one of them every now
and then stopping, with pricked ears, ana
gazing back toward the beaters; then il
would scamper on after its mother. 1t
was pretty sylvan scene, and the sun
light, falling on their leek-stripped hides
as they moved noisclessly over the dead
leaves that carpeted the ground, glttered
and quvered in fantastic rays. They
came straight on for my post, and got
within ten yards of me, when, with an
upward curl of her lip and twitching
of the tip Of her tail, that well-known
sign of irritation which always means
mischief on the part of the feline race,
the tigress stopped to listen; and az she
turned her head back gazing at the beat.
ers l aimed at her neck between its juno
tion with the shoulders and the ears and
fired. She dropped in her tracks without
groan and never stirred. 1t seemed as
if IN twinkling the ground had, as it
were, been cut from under her legs, at the
same moment depriving her of life with
the speed Of electricity. / only on one
other occasion ever saw any large an
imal pass so suddenly from life to death !
without even a witch or movement of
muscle.
Two gentlemen, call them A. and B., |
residing together on a estate, had lost,
besides other employees, two "chowke-
dars' or native watchmen, within a few |
days, and the unfortunate men had been |
actually carried off out of The verauda in |
the bungalow. A. and b J., therefore, de-
termined to clothe themselves like ma
tives, and sit during the night, armed, in |
the veranda in hopes they might be able
TO get shot at the man eater, who they |
thought might probably return to the
spot which bad already provided him
with two victims. They proceeded TO
carry out this intention, and sat up till |
two or three O'Clock in the morning. but
nothing appeared. A. then said he should
not stay up any longer, as he did not be-
lieve the animal would come, but b. an
nounced his intention of waiting half an
hour longer by himself. There were large
windows opening down to the floor of the
veranda, and through one of these A. re-
tired, and after entering his room had
just closed the window and was Just
gazing out for an instant when he saw a
dark mass land in the veranda right ON
10 his friend then sounds Of scutiie and
cry for help. Selling his rifle, to which
sword bayonet was attached, and fling
ing up the window he rushed out in time
10 see b. walking down the steps led up
10 the varanda from the garden along
side of the tiger, with his hand in the
latters mouth! A. was afraid to fire lest
he should hit his friend, so running after
him he, with admirable presence Of mind,
went mp to the tiger and plunging his bay
int, H.